[wildwoman]

New Year, Old Quests.

The beech tree in England is suffering the "double whammy" of climate stress in the south and being felled as an allegedly "non-native" species in the north.

Conservation groups and land owners are under legal obligation (grant qualifications etc) to remove non-native species and the beech is bearing the brunt of this agenda with piles of clear felled mature beech trees stacked up looking like elephant ivory throughout Cumbria. This is a sad state of affairs for a tree that arrived in Britain before the English Channel was formed thousands of years ago. Natural England have said that professional conservationists may be confused about the proposed description of ‘new native’ for beech. The status could be native* - whatever the status -
‘non-native’ is plainly wrong.

Please ask your MP to support Tim Farron’s EDM 449

Early Day Motion 449 BEECH TREES
"That this House believes that beech trees are an integral part of the British landscape; is dismayed that beech trees are at risk of disappearing from parts of the British Isles due to a combination of felling in the north and climate change in the south; further believes that beeches should be reclassified in Cumbria as new native in order to prevent their felling as non-native; and wishes to ensure that these trees will be around for the benefit of biodiversity and future generations"